Ovilos Biblia Chora Estate
With few exceptions, the majority of Greek Cabernet Sauvignon efforts are off the mark. Most are planted in the wrong place (arid hotter regions) and not farmed appropriately to achieve balanced ripe grapes. The wines are charmless. Mostly, a boatload of astringent green drying tannins. Hardly appealing stuff. On the other hand, there are microclimates and know-how to produce good, perhaps exceptional, varietal wine from this ubiquitous grape.
CS does not even make it to the top 3 shortlist of my favourite red grape varieties. So, during my autumn month-long scouting in the vineyards, I was pleasantly shocked to find something that appealed in equal measures to mind and heart. So much so, that one of those rare lapses of professional discipline occurred – the opposite to spitting out.
Vassilis Tsaktsarlis may have a hard-to-pronounce surname, but his soft touch, apparent in all of his wines, represents one of the towering efforts in Greek wines. A Bordeaux graduate, this 42-year-old is a partner, with Vangelis Gerovassiliou, of the eponymous estate and the vineyard-focused oenologist at Biblia Chora. A man of few words. Incisive comment. Free of hype. Actually, as refreshing as the wines he makes.
Dark. Classic nose of cassis and minerality. Piquant Cabernet Sauvignon fruit. Depth. Grippy stylish tannins complemented by tight-woven acidity. Great balance. Oozing elegance on the long finish. Whispering presence and staying power. Stylistically, this is the closest the northern Aegean shoreline has so far got to… St Estephe! A star in the making. Best 2010-2020.
Score: 18/20
For more details please visit: www.bibliachora.gr
26.10.2009
